From working two full-time jobs—at the local cannery and at the original Mecca—Guillermo has gone on to become the caterer of choice to the Oakland Athletics (bet you didn’t know their full name), the San Francisco Giants and 49ers, and the MLB All-Star Games when they were in The City (’84) and in Oakland (’87)!

I write this on the darkest day in the Pittsburg calendar. The Mecca will be closed, as it is every January, for 2-½ weeks. In a few days the town will be in withdrawal shock, and will be anxiously counting the days until it re-opens January 22, 2009.

Meanwhile, dream of carne asada and chillaquillas and the Mecca’s famous bean dip and know that the world turns ’round, and before you know it, the air at the Delta end of Railroad Avenue will be redolent with the aroma of the best Mexican food north of Jalisco.

¡Salud!

[You all know how fond Guillermo is of singing the American National Anthem. Well, turnabout’s fair play! If the Mariachi are all done, listen to the Mexican National Anthem played by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra (& no, I’m not making this up):

I generally joke that the reason we gringos celebrate Cinco de Mayo is because we can’t pronounce dieciseis de septiembre. Perhaps we are subconsciously validating historians who argue that France was really trying to break up the Union. You may wish to read Wikipedia on the subject. Click on: La batalla de Puebla. ¡Salud!